Give what you can to the arts, says Forrest

The newly-appointed named chair of the Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, Andrew Forrest, with a work by Paul Cezanne.
Photo: Bohdan Warchomij

by
Natalie Gerritsen

Billionaire mining magnate
Andrew Forrest
says it is better for individuals to donate to the arts, rather than governments or companies, because the ­dollars are likely to be ­better targeted.

Mr Forrest, himself a big cultural philanthropist, was named chairman of the Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation on Wednesday night, a position once held by media mogul and fellow West Australian
Kerry Stokes
.

Mr Forrest said the community’s attitude to giving was maturing and individual donations, however small, had the advantage of coming directly from appreciative supporters who might know better than ­governments.

“I’d implore beyond the corporations, who are effectively giving away other people’s money, that mums and dads, the citizens of Western Australia, contribute themselves," he said.

Community should look after its own

Mr Forrest, founder and chairman of
Fortescue Metals Group
, also said Australia needed to shake off the expectation that government should bear the brunt of funding for “soft economic assets" such as the arts.

“Governments do not make community welfare investment well. They will give a ballet school mining boots, as an analogy," he said.

“If the community looks after its own, it might be a lot less money but much better directed."

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Mr Forrest said he would “never" have publicly reported his early donations to charitable causes, such as $80 million in Fortescue shares handed to the family’s Australian Children’s Trust in 2007, if he had not legally been obliged to do so as the then-chief executive, and had not been seeking publicity.

“People were saying ‘this is a bit early for a June 30 taxation-driven thing’. It [the response] was about as critical as you can get.

“That was many years ago . . . I think the media’s attitude to philanthropy has gone from cynical to encouraging," Mr Forrest said. “And while that happens, more and more people will put their head above the parapet."

Praise for Perth’s cultural depth

Perth’s cultural scene has flourished during the resources boom years, helped by cashed-up citizens, corporate donations and a growing population.

This weekend, the Art Gallery of Western Australia will open the Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond exhibition, the third in an exclusive three-year partnership with New York’s Museum of ­Modern Art, pioneered by director
­Stefano Carboni
.

Mr Forrest said while WA punched well above its weight in many aspects of the arts, there was still plenty of potential for growth.

“The cultural depth of a society is what builds its diversity, its richness and its strength," Mr Forrest said.

“I’ve looked at Western Australia as having all the natural aspects, including economic aspects, you could ask for. . . and thinking why can we not also have that cultural depth and diversity. And the answer is there is no reason; we just have to put in the effort."

Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola are prominent supporters of culture in WA, aiding the state’s museum, opera, ballet and orchestra. They have also signed up to Microsoft founder
Bill Gates
’ Giving Pledge initiative, which Mr Forrest said was an opportunity for successful business people to use the other side of their brains and do the “just as challenging" work in giving money away responsibly.